September 2018

25
Sep
Cropped shot of a man and woman completing paperwork together at a desk

Me KASA es Su KASA – Long Overdue but Very Welcome

On Thursday (September 20th), the FDA held a meeting of the Pharmaceutical Science and Clinical Pharmacology Advisory Committee to discuss the Agency’s plans for implementation of the Knowledge‑aided Assessment and Structured Application program (KASA).  The FDA presented to the Advisory Committee two primary goals of the KASA program.  On the one hand, it is intended […]

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24
Sep
A 3D representation of the word final hanging on a plain white background. The word is hanging from binder paper…

Final ANDA Submission Guidance Published Today

The FDA has updated and finalized its guidance “ANDA Submissions – Content and Format”   (here). The 38-page document goes into even more detail than the previous drafts and provides expanded explanations for certain sections and requirements for documents. There is advice for each eCTD section and even an expanded Cover Sheet format suggested in Appendix […]

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19
Sep
Female doctor sitting in her office and studying medical records. Medicine professional reading reports in clinic.

FDA Takes Action on Opioids – Approves Final REMS

Yesterday the FDA announced the approval of a final REMS “governing the use of immediate-release opioid analgesic medications.”  And the FDA did it in a big way, approving some 437 supplements for the various immediate-release opioid products.  The FDA stated in its new release (here): This new plan includes several measures to help better communicate […]

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16
Sep
Yellow warning sign screwed to a brick wall to warn about a threat. In the middle of the panel, there…

FDA Is Eliminating Regulations? Here’s One that Makes Sense!

The FDA has announced a proposed rule to repeal its regulation requiring any drug product that uses irradiation to be approved under an NDA or ANDA.  The Notice states that “this action is part of FDA’s implementation of Executive Orders (EOs) 13771 and 13777.  Under these EOs, FDA is comprehensively reviewing existing regulations to identify […]

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14
Sep

August Official Approvals and Receipts Released as OGD Approaches Record Year

The Office of Generic Drugs (OGD) released its official approval and receipt numbers late yesterday.  August saw 53 full approvals and 15 tentative approvals, leaving OGD 44 ANDA full approvals away from matching their previous FY record of 763 from FY 2017.  These approvals are quite an accomplishment given the fact that the slowdown in […]

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13
Sep
Crowded Traffic in Beijing

No Easy Solutions for Complex Generics Yet

The Complex Generic Drug Development Workshop is currently being held in Silver Spring, Maryland September 12‑13, 2018.  In her keynote address at the FDA’s Small Business and Industry Assistance (SBIA) workshop on complex generic drug development, Kathleen Cook Uhl stated that complex drug products are critical to the care of many serious medical conditions, such as […]

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13
Sep
Female chemist at work in laboratory.

Reduced Testing, but Not Reduced Expectations

Reduced testing of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API), excipients, and other raw materials can be a valid approach to gaining overall efficiencies in the pharmaceutical quality control laboratory.  However, the choice of tests to perform and the justification for choosing those tests are key elements of operating a compliant Reduced Testing Program that is also scientifically […]

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